Leslie G. Hodges

Leslie, or Les as he was known, was the son of Darrel and Gladys (Barnum) Hodges, born in Woodbine, Iowa, on April 3, 1933.

Les was one of eleven children raised on a farm in the 30’s and 40’s in Missouri Valley, Iowa. He graduated from Magnolia High School in 1952. After graduating, he worked at JC Penney in Missouri Valley, IA. He worked there until he was drafted into the Army in 1953. Les was united in marriage with Janet Schwab of Hooper, NE, on November 13, 1955, after he was honorably discharged from the Army. The couple made their home in Omaha, NE, and went on to have six children. He went to work at JC Penney in Omaha, NE for a year and then began working for Omar Bakery selling and delivering bread door to door. He was an Omar Breadman for nearly ten years till they went out of business in 1966. He worked at various food brokerage firms until his retirement in 1998. Les was an avid camper and member of the Good Sam’s Club along with Janet. They enjoyed camping on the weekends together and after retirement were Snow Birds to Donna, TX, during winters in the Rio Grande Valley. He was an avid and competitive dominoes and card player. Les and Janet’s numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren loved spending time with them and enjoyed making special memories with together. Family was very important to Les and he was a wonderful father.

After 55 years of marriage, Janet passed away in January of 2009, and Les married Joyce Small of Mondamin, IA in November of 2009. Les and Joyce lived in Omaha, NE, and they were married for 16 years before Joyce passed away in February of 2025. They were active in the YMCA Silver Sneakers program. Along with the YMCA, Les would walk the dog twice a day, no matter the weather. Being active was important to him throughout his life and he always had a love for the many family dogs, mostly dachshunds.

Les was a long-time member of the Lutheran Church of the Master. He was a wonderful gardener, and for many years had large, glorious lilac bushes at the edge of their property. His garden was always overflowing with vegetables every year.

Preceded in death include Les’s parents, Darrel and Gladys; brothers Elwin, Leland, Duane, Dennis; sisters Norma Hick, Bonnie Cain-Gossett, Beverly Davis

Those left to cherish Leslie’s memory are his sons David (Darlene) Hodges, Dale (Donna) Hodges, Dana (Beth) Hodges, all of Omaha, NE, his daughters, Debbie (Ardy) Polzine of Brandon, SD, Diane (Ken) Methlie of Papillion, NE, Dawn (Toby) Pfannenstiel of Abilene, TX; grandchildren Josh (Angie) Hodges, John (Liz) Hodges, Josh Cox and Josh Point, Chris (Katie) Hodges, Kaitlyn (Maddie McGrath) Hodges, Seth (Suzey) Hodges, Jordan (Maren) Hodges, Dan (Tyler) Hodges, Graham Hodges, Justin (Allison) Pfannenstiel, Ashley (Ramiro Olvera) Pfannenstiel; 12 great–grandchildren and his brothers Othal Hodges of Galva, IA, Jerry Hodges of Omaha, NE and sister Janet Thomas of Thayne, WY and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral service will be held on October 14th, 2025, at 10:00 am at Lutheran Church of the Master, 2617 S. 114 Street, Omaha, NE 68144. Military Honor Guard ceremony will be held after funeral service at Westlawn-Hillcrest Cemetery at 5701 Center Street, Omaha, NE 68106.